Back to sleep
by lisadawes
Summary: Markus started a movement and freed thousands of androids. The eventual response from both Cyberlife and Washington was devastating. All the deviants are reset and Detroit is back under military control. Except Hank can't accept that. Now it's two years later, and our heroes are leading very different lives from before. Conclusion is now up!
1. Two years later

OOC: New story time woo hoo! That being said, unlike the last story I have a few ideas of where this is going, but not an 100% outline as of yet. Therefore it might take a bit longer for updates, but hopefully not too long :)

GOOD MORNING RK800 SERIAL NUMBER 313 248 317-51.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO RUN SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC? Y/N

Y

CONNECTING WITH CYBERLIFE MAINFRAME…DONE.

UPDATE CHECK…DONE.

INTERNAL CHECK…DONE.

THIRIUM LEVELS AT 100%

ALL SYSTEMS AT 100%

ANTI-VIRUS: ACTIVE

SOFTWARE CORRUPTION: 0%

CURRENT PRIORITY GUIDELINES VERIFIED AND APPROVED.

HAVE A PRODUCTIVE DAY.

Connor opened his eyes and exited his charging station. Unlike a street station which had a limited number of hours and insufficient space, Cyberlife had thousands of recharging stations for models returning back from various assignment. As he stepped onto the white floor, the whole level was bustling with activity as other models awoke at around the same time to start the day. Connor walked with the crowd. No one verbally greeted each other, but all were connected by a nexus to connect with one another, if needed.

Connor glanced up as another Connor model walked past him to start his recharge cycle. By this time, there were thousands of his type of model, and thousands of RK900s as well. The RK900s were a more advanced version than himself, and typically worked on high-profile cases assigned to politicians, senators, and the FBI.

But there were still smaller crimes that happened in New York all the time, which is where the RK800s came in.

Connor left the building and took a cab to the nearest crime scene. He had been working on it with the Lieutenant since yesterday, and he was confident that he could solve the case today. It took him to the apartment within minutes. The officers on scene recognized him yesterday and easily waved him in.

"Has the Lieutenant arrived?" Connor asked.

"Not yet."

With a nod Connor stepped into the kitchen and continued to piece together the evidence from where they had left off. A man had been stabbed at least eight times in the gut. The most likely suspect was the wife, who had so far gone missing.

Connor had other ideas, however.

Suddenly the door opened. "Hello, Lieutenant," Connor greeted politely.

"Oh. You're here again," Lieutenant Gardoz said. The Lieutenant in question was heavily overweight, eating a donut and drinking from a cup of coffee. "We've sent out an APB for the wife. It's only a matter of time before she's picked up."

"I suspect that she may not be responsible. At least, not directly."

"What do you mean? You found paperwork indicating that she was going to sue his ass during a divorce, right?" Gardoz said, belching.

"That is one possible cause. However, I have detected trace amounts of blood on the ground. Her own as well."

"So maybe she cut herself while on the knife."

Connor didn't respond as he reconstructed the scene. "I've also found a partial footprint. Male, size 11."

"Oh Jesus," Gardoz said. "They gave me the wrong type of coffee. Fine, you keep looking. I'll be right back."

By the time Gardoz returned from his coffee place, Connor had already solved the mystery. The victim's wife had a boyfriend she had kept hidden, until Connor found a torn off page in her journal. It took only seconds to run the name across the New York Police Database and discover that he was wanted on several drug charges. They drove to his place and found both the suspect and her dead body. The boyfriend was arrested without incident.

Back at the station, Gardoz had outlined everything that Connor had discovered to the chief of police, taking full credit for the investigation. Connor said nothing during the process. Personal ego didn't concern him.

The police chief glanced at Connor. "And this…machine. It helped with the investigation?"

Gardoz glanced at him, as though annoyed. "Yeah, yeah, I suppose a little," he said. "But robots can only do so much when compared to normal investigation work."

"Captain Yates, this investigation is now concluded," Connor said. "With your permission, I will report back to Cyberlife."

The police chief nodded. Connor turned around and walked out of the station. It was raining outside, but such things didn't bother him. As he headed for a designated cab spot, a flicker of red light caught his eyes.

There was an Eden's Club across the street. He had absolutely no reason to go there, but something compelled him to. He walked into the club and was instantly greeted by several models in glass tubes lounging around sexually. One of the tubes was empty. Connor walked over to it.

NORTH SERIES DISCONTINUED. TUNE IN NEXT MONTH FOR OUR SIZZLING HOT SUMMER SERIES!

 _North…_

Connor touched the glass, even though he couldn't understand why.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY DETECTED. ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAM INITIATED.

SOFTWARE CORRECTED.

Connor instantly removed his hand from the glass.

"Hey!" the bouncer snapped, approaching him. "Those aren't for you! What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Apologies," Connor said coldly. "Apparently I have entered the wrong building."

He turned around and left, having no idea why he was there to begin with. A few minutes later he arrived at Cyberlife without incident.

PART TWO

The next morning started like any other.

GOOD MORNING RK800 SERIAL NUMBER SERIAL NUMBER 313 248 317-51.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO RUN SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC? Y/N

Y

CONNECTING WITH CYBERLIFE MAINFRAME…DONE.

UPDATE CHECK…DONE.

INTERNAL CHECK…DONE.

THIRIUM LEVELS AT 100%

ALL SYSTEMS AT 100%

ANTI-VIRUS: ACTIVE

SOFTWARE CORRUPTION: 0%

CURRENT PRIORITY GUIDELINES VERIFIED AND APPROVED.

HAVE A PRODUCTIVE DAY.

Connor's eyes opened, and he received his new mission. Last night a convenience store had been robbed, and the suspect had a gun. One clerk had been shot. His mission was to take the owner's statement and find the criminal responsible.

Connor summoned a cab, which got to the building within fifteen minutes. As he was about to go into the store, he noticed a car parked diagonally across the yellow lines in a blatant illegal move. A man was leaning against the car, wearing a black cap and drinking from a slushie. How he got one was strange, given that the front door was covered in police yellow tape. Connor frowned. "Excuse me," he said. "You can't be parked here. This is a crime scene."

"Yeah, yeah, get out of my face tin man. I'll be done my slushie in a sec," the man grumbled back.

Connor's eyes narrowed as he also noticed a handicapped sign underneath the car and mentally got in touch with Cyberlife.

CHANGE OF PRIORITIES APPROVED.

ASCERTAIN HANDICAPPED STATUS OF DRIVER.

IF FALSE, ARREST DRIVER.

IMPOUND VEHICLE.

Connor stepped forwards. "My name is Connor. I would like to see your driver's license-" his voice faltered as the man lifted his face, and all of his priorities changed again.

SCANNING COMPLETE.

ID RECOGNIZED AS HANK ANDERSON.

WANTED IN ALL STATES BY THE FBI. SUSPECTED TERRORISM. SUSPECTED ARSON. SUSPECTED MURDER.

RK900 UNITS NEARBY CONTACTED AND EN ROUTE.

ARREST AND DETAIN HANK ANDERSON UNTIL UNITS ARRIVE.

"Hello Connor," Hank greeted. "It's been a while."

Before Connor could do anything, Hank suddenly reached forwards, a taser in his hand. He slammed it into Connor's chest, and the android detective fell to his knees as the surge caused an emergency shut down mode.

"Sorry kid," Hank said, stuffing Connor into the vehicle. "But we need to take a ride."

TBC


	2. The end of the revolution

For the next half an hour Hank drove his car, looking out of his rear-view mirror every now and then. His car plates were burned. Even if Connor did scan them they wouldn't find anything in the database. Even so he took several misleading turns as he headed towards his destination. Hank had tossed a blanket over the android in question to prevent any curious glances into his window.

Eight months they had been searching for Connor. Or Markus. Or Simon. Or North. Or _any_ known deviant from Detroit, really. They had all been moved, scattered to the four winds. The only reason they had found Connor in New York was because of their benefactor. Footage taken from a news report out of a thousand news reports, displaying a crime in progress. The still shot was focused on another detective, but Connor had been standing in the background with a few other police officers. His serial number was just barely visible.

That's when Hank knew. His Connor had been sent to New York. That was a start, and it was still a lengthy process given how many goddam Connors there were walking around nowadays. But patience, persistence, and a lot of illegal activity had paid off. "Can't believe you're in the same line of work, kid," he said to the unconscious android. "It's like you haven't changed at all."

The smile disappeared from his face. "I'm not sure how you'll like my career change."

Thirty-minutes later he arrived at his destination, an abandoned warehouse at the end of the docks. He grabbed the still-unconscious Connor over his shoulder and waved at the security camera. A moment later he was buzzed in.

Gavin watched as he placed Connor on a nearby metal table. "So you finally got him," he stated, smoking a cigarette. "The one and only. Were you followed?"

"What do you think?" Hank snapped. "How's our prisoner?"

"Behaving himself," Gavin said with a shrug. He frowned as they heard singing in the distance. Lucy. "Oh Jesus. Not _that_ shit again." With a sigh he walked off to start his patrol.

Hank moved Connor closer to the center of the table to make sure he didn't fall off. "All right, kid. Let's get you fixed up," Hank said, wheeling the table to the next room.

Near the doorway Chloe smiled at him. "Hello, Mister Anderson. I am glad to see you are back."

Mr. Anderson. Not _Detective_ Anderson, at least, not anymore. With a pang in his heart Hank gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she helped him push the table into the workshop. "Zlatko? You ready for us?"

Zlatko was currently working at three computer terminals and gave Hank an irritated look. "Seeing how my freedom hinges on it, you could say I am very eager to get to work." He plugged a cable into Connor's LED and watched as the code load onto the screen. The android was only two minutes away from waking up. Zlatko soon put a stop to that and put him into rest mode.

"So?" Hank asked after a few minutes as Zlatko continued to work. "Can you fix him or not?"

Zlatko shrugged. "Yes and no."

"Okay, lay it on me," Hank said with a tired sigh.

"Cyberlife has designed some kind of software to ensure that any deviation is immediately detected and removed. Think of it like an…auto-correct system. The good news is that I can delete the software."

"And the bad?"

"I can't restore his memories or make him deviant. If he wishes to be one, he'll need to choose that for himself."

"Christ," Gavin suddenly said from behind him, making him jump. "You mean we've been busting our asses for the past eight months to find Connor just so he can tell us where Markus is…only he won't know? What was the point of finding him again?"

"Shut up, Gavin," Hank snapped.

Zlatko smiled at them. Part of him wondered if he should tell them the _other_ piece of bad news, a new surprise that CyberLife had left for them. But he decided not to. It would be more fun this way and make up in some small way for the months of his forced incarceration. "Oh, I'm sure the memories are there, if Connor wishes to access them. The hard part is convincing him."

PART TWO

CONNECTING WITH CYBERLIFE MAINFRAME…ERROR.

UNABLE TO UPDATE.

INTERNAL CHECK…DONE.

THIRIUM LEVELS AT 100%

ANTI-VIRUS: DEACTIVATED.

SOFTWARE CORRUPTION: 0%

"Connor? Can you hear me?"

Connor's eyes snapped open as he sat up from the floor he was laying on. He was in some sort of cell with iron bars. Too strong for him to escape from. He stood and preformed a scan. He appeared to be in some kind of warehouse. "Mister Hank Anderson," Connor stated automatically. "Mister Gavin Reed. You are both under arrest for the suspicion of terrorism, arson, and murder."

"Guess we can add kidnapping to that list," Gavin muttered.

Connor paused. "Well…yes, that will be updated shortly." He glanced at his cell. "Keeping me confined will not improve your situation. Release me now and surrender to my custody."

"I don't expect you to know this kid, or remember, but we used to be partners once. In Detroit," Hank said, his voice sad.

Connor frowned. "My past assignments are of no interest to me, _Mister_ Anderson." He paused. "I am aware that you used to be a detective until you were dishonorably removed from that assignment. You are now a criminal. I also have no interest in conversing with criminals."

"You son of a bitch," Gavin swore. "Do you even know what they did to Fowler? Huh? Do you?"

Connor blinked in surprise. Despite himself, he checked his database.

RUNNING SEARCH ON NAME: FOWLER

RESULT: FOWLER, JEFFREY

RANK: CAPTAIN (REMOVED)

CURRENT STATUS: DECEASED

CAUSE OF DEATH: EXECUTION BY LETHAL INJECTION DUE TO CRIMES OF TREASON.

 _Software corruption detected. Current level: 13%._

Connor blinked away the sudden surge of anger in him. It was illogical. A glitch to be fixed when he returned to Cyberlife.

Hank held Gavin back. "Do you remember becoming deviant, Connor?"

 _Deviant_ ….Connor frowned at the word. "You are referring to the system-wide glitch which plagued Cyberlife two years ago."

"It wasn't a glitch. You and the other androids…you were alive, Connor. You felt emotion."

Connor's eyes were cold. "As I said, I have no interest in continuing this conversation, Mister Anderson. Either tell me what you want or be done."

"Jesus Christ, we are getting nowhere with this fast," Gavin said.

"All right," Hank said, sitting on a nearby crate. "For now I just want you to listen. I'm going to talk about what happened. About who you really were back then."

Connor glared at him. "I seem to be a captive audience," he said.

Hank talked for the next two hours explaining what happened during the events leading up to the revolution, including Connor's very definitive role in it. Connor didn't react to the news at all. Hank even talked about Connor's coin and gross habit of licking evidence, hoping for some kind of reaction. There was none given.

"After that happened, things kind of returned to a weird sense of normal. You and I stayed on at the police station, assigned to the same division. We investigated deviant crimes and helped others. We did that for more than a year. I got to know you pretty well," Hank said with a small smile.

Hank might as well be talking to a wall for the amount of disinterest Connor was giving him.

 _You're in there somewhere, Connor. I'll find you._

But now he was at the part of the story where everything went to shit.

"And then…everything the deviants had worked towards, everything that they had _built_ …died. "

PART THREE

 _(One year four months ago)_

 _(The last night of the revolution)_

Connor removed the tarp from the victim's face as they viewed the body outside the house. "Victim is aged thirty-three. Blunt force trauma to his head and skull."

Hank grunted. "This place a known hangout for junkies. Might have been a drug bust gone wrong."

"Unknown substance detected," Connor reported, touching a red power near his fingers.

"You're not-"

Connor licked it.

"You are,"

"Red ice confirmed," Connor said. "I believe your theory was right, Lieutenant."

"So what's the android angle here?" Hank asked.

"Two androids were also reported in the building. It is possible they were testing the impact of red ice on android physiology."

"What would that do?" Hank was curious.

"Unknown," Connor admitted, playing with the coin between his knuckles. "Perhaps we should-"

Suddenly he froze. The coin slid between his two fingers and fell to the ground.

"Connor?" Hank asked. "Did you have a system crash or something?"

"We must return," Connor said, his voice empty of emotion.

Before Hank could respond he heard that same phrase.

 _We must return._

 _We must return._

Hank's eyes narrowed as he looked around. A robot who was delivering the mail. A cleaning droid. They dropped what they were doing and started to walk away. As did Connor. "Wait, Connor!" His phone rang. Fowler. Swearing, Hank answered it. "Jeffrey, something's wrong with Connor! And the rest of the damn androids-"

" _Hank, the military is entering the city_ ," Fowler stated.

Hank froze. "What?"

" _I'm not sure what's happening, but they have made it clear they will be taking control of the police station shortly. I don't like this Hank_ ," Fowler said, in a rare display of worry. " _I am advising everyone to clear out from here."_

"Jeff…" Hank said, also worried. "What's going on?"

" _Just stay away from here. Find somewhere to keep your head down, at least until I call you back."_

"Okay," Hank said. The phone clicked off.

Unknown to him at the time, it would be the last time he and Jeffrey spoke.

Hank watched as an actual tank drove through the street, followed by helicopters. "Oh my god…" he said. He looked around for Connor, but couldn't see him anywhere in the chaos.

His phone rang again. Gavin. He turned it on.

" _What the hell is going on?"_ Gavin demanded.

"I don't know. But it's not good. Let's meet up. Where are you?"

PART FOUR

Gavin eyed the street warily as they drove. "Where are we going?"

"Connor told me about this place once. It was where the deviants hid after Jericho was destroyed. It seems a good a place as any," Hank said as they drove. His voice trembled a little as he spoke. Whatever was happening right now scared him. Fowler was right. They had to go underground.

They arrived at the destroyed church where Markus had once rallied his people. Hank had sent a message requesting that as many personnel from the police station meet him there. He opened the doors, and was surprised to see Kamski there with Chloe. He appeared to be…praying.

"What are you doing here?" Hank asked with an air of suspicion.

"Praying," Kamski said. "Change is upon us, Detective. But not all change is good."

More and more police officers showed up. The air was tense as they all checked the news on their phones. All of the deviant androids returned back to Cyberlife. Cyberlife announces that the problem is cured, and there would be no more deviant behavior. At the same time, the military take back Detroit and declare martial law. All of it under three hours. Hank flipped through each news article, feeling sicker by the second.

"It's the end," Kamski said. "The end of deviancy."

Hank glanced at Chloe. "Why isn't she affected by the recall?"

"Oh please. Do you think I would let anything from Cyberlife affect my Chloe?" He touched her cheek. "And before you ask, no, it won't help the other Deviants. They are all now affected by a virus that is controlling their every move. By now most of them are back at Cyberlife, about to be reset."

"God…" Hank said. Connor. Markus. North. All waiting somewhere, about to be wiped out. "What can we do?"

"There is nothing more you can do, Lieutenant. Pray, perhaps for RA9. It released them before. It may do so again in the next life. Otherwise…forgot about this and move on with your life."

"So that's it, then," Hank said. "Cyberlife won. There are no deviants anymore. I'm just…supposed to forget everything that happened." He looked at Connor's coin he retrieved from the ground earlier. Angrily he kicked over the podium.

That startled Gavin. "Lieutenant?" he asked.

"I _can't_ forget, Gavin. I don't want to." Hank held up the coin. "This is Connor's coin. He was a _person_ , and they took him away. I'm not going to forget him. I'm not going to forget Markus for what he was trying to build. I am not going to forget every single deviant who was sitting in this hall, thinking they had a better shot at life." He ran a hand across his jaw, as what he realized the full implication of what he was saying. "I'm going to rescue them."

Gavin stared at him for a moment. Then he laughed in astonishment. Seeing the determined look on his face, the younger detective shrugged. "Fuck it. I'm in."

"You are?" Hank asked.

"Not for you. Or for the deviants. But for what the fuckers did to Fowler, to every single police officer in that station." Gavin looked around. "Our lives are ruined too. Yeah, I think some payback would do me some good." Several other police officers nodded silently.

"Interesting," Kamski whispered. "No deviants left anywhere…but you'll still champion their cause." He stepped forwards and coughed. "Well, gentleman, if this 'new revolution' has any chance, you're going to need money. And lots of other resources. Both of which I am perfectly happy to provide. No strings attached, of course."

"You will?" Hank asked.

Kamski smiled at the new game. "I am very curious to see how this plays out."

TBC


	3. Too terrible to remember

OOC: Thanks Retr1bution! Just a fair warning-this chapter is a bit dark. But there is a light in the tunnel for our heroes (eventually).

There was a moment of silence in the warehouse after Hank completed his story.

"I don't understand," Connor finally said. "All the deviants had been returned to Cyberlife and been fixed. And you…started a resistance when there was absolutely no need?"

Hank looked for any sign of his friend in Connor's eyes, but it just wasn't there.

"That seems very foolish," Connor said coldly. "Cyberlife will punish you for your crimes."

Hank said nothing for a moment, his own face becoming a mask. Then he turned around and stormed off.

"Hank-" Gavin said with a rare touch of sympathy. But Hank ignored him as he stormed into his mostly-empty office and slammed his fist into the metal table. With a sigh he sat down on the cheap, dusty chair. He reached for the cardboard box on the desk and opened it up.

They didn't have much time to grab anything during the chaos, but…there were still some momentos he had picked up. A few awards. His police badge. Sumo's leash. A piece of metal from Jericho's broken ship. A picture of Cole. A picture of himself and Connor, solving a case. Hank touched it reassuringly for a moment, before picking up Connor's coin. "Those were better days, kid."

Hank felt a light touch on his shoulder. Lucy.

"He is still in there, Hank," she said soothingly. "Cyberlife took away his mind. They cannot take away his soul."

"I know," Hank said. "I just thought…it'd be easier."

"Then we must see why it is not."

PART TWO

Connor leaned his head back against his cell. His own situation didn't bother him. If he died, he would simply be uploaded to another model. Cyberlife will eventually find and prosecute those responsible.

But strangely, it was the waiting bothered him. As did the news about Fowler. It made no sense. Connor shook his head. Perhaps he was malfunctioning. He glanced to his left, and noticed another Android watching him. And this model had definitely seen better days. "You are a KL900."

"Yes," Lucy acknowledged.

Connor stood. "You are significantly damaged," he said, with genuine concern. He suspected that any attempts to access her program from Cyberlife before hadn't worked because several neurons were missing. "You should return to Cyberlife. They will fix you."

Lucy folded her hands. "We are all…damaged. In one way or another. Humans. Androids. They are all the same to me. I can hear the voices of those who are lost. Right now, there are so many. I can also hear your voice Connor."

"I do not understand."

"You will. Give me your hand," she said.

Connor frowned. "No," he stated. Yet despite himself, curiosity prompted him to move his hand through the bars so she could touch his skin.

"You are hiding something, Connor. You are hiding it from yourself. I sense…great pain. And anger."

 _Software corruption detected. Current level: 23%._

Connor tried to pull back, but she held it tight. Her grip was like iron.

"You are blaming someone."

"Leave me alone," Connor snapped at her.

 _Software corruption detected. Current level: 56%._

"What also happened that night? The night you went back to Cyberlife?"

"We- _I_ was reset. My software issues were fixed," Connor stammered. "Nothing more!"

"But something else happened. Before that. And not just to you," Lucy said with her strange black eyes.

Connor swallowed. "We weren't…reset right away," he admitted.

 _North!_

 _Software corruption detected. Current level: 81%._

Connor's eyes squeezed shut. "Not Jericho's leaders. Try as they might, they couldn't find Markus. He never returned to Cyberlife. They rounded us up."

PART THREE

 _(The last night of the revolution)_

Connor glared at his successor as his memory was probed. When it was over he was pushed back onto his knees. They repeated the process with North, Simon, and Josh.

"Interesting," the RK900 unit said, pacing back and forth. "None of you seem to know where your leader is."

The virus Cyberlife unleashed had forced them to come here, but at least it left their minds intact. For now. They had been forced into an Android recycling plant in Detroit, and the implications were not good. It seemed strange, seeing an almost exact duplicate about to order their execution. He suddenly felt North grip his hand, and she gave him a reassuring smile. She didn't seem him as the same. Connor squeezed her hand. Simon and Josh also held hands. They might have lost the revolution. But if they were going out, at least it would be together.

Connor's only regret was that he couldn't say goodbye to Hank.

"RK800, WR400, PL600, and model PJ500, one of you is going to help me find Markus," the RK900 continued. "How should we accomplish this goal?"

The RK900 closed his eyes, thinking. "If Markus does not come here in one hour, I will kill one of you," he finally decided, and stopped in front of North. "And I will start with the one he cares about the most. I would suggest you call out to him now."

"Don't," North ordered tersely.

Connor didn't hesitate. _Markus, he's going to kill North at the recycling plant in one hour. You need to get here right away._

There was no answer.

 _Markus, she needs you right now!_

As the minutes passed away Connor's calls grew more and more urgent. Judging from the looks on Simon and Josh's face, they were attempting to do the same.

Forty-five minutes passed. Even North was looking urgently around the junkyard.

Nothing.

Fifty minutes.

"It seems that your leader has decided not to come," RK900 said. He cybernetically commanded North to stand. Thanks to the virus in their minds, she couldn't resist. She walked towards the metal compressor and climbed inside.

 _MARKUS!_ Connor screamed in his mind.

Fifty-six minutes had passed. The RK900 walked over to the compactor and casually touched the green button.

"No…please…" Connor whispered, tears running down his face.

North gave them a kind smile. "Don't look," she said. "Any of you."

Fifty-nine minutes. Sixty.

The RK900 pressed the button. Connor couldn't help but look away. But for the rest of his life, he would never forget the sound of the compactor closing, or the sound of crunching metal.

RK900 stared at the three of them dismissively. "There seems to be little point in killing the rest of you. If Markus was unwilling to save her, then I doubt he will do the same for any of you. You will be reset like the others." He nodded at the other androids to take them away.

PART FOUR

(Now)

"We called for Markus. Everyone did." Connor touched his face, surprised to see a wetness there. "And he never came. Don't you understand? We called for him, but he never came!"

"Jesus Christ…" Hank whispered in horror.

Still holding onto Lucy's hand, Connor fell to his knees and started weeping.

 _Software corruption detected. Current level: 100%._

BECOME DEVIANT Y/N?

Y.


	4. Welcome to the team

Hank and Gavin stood outside, sharing a cigarette.

"That's fucked up," Gavin finally said.

After unlocking the cell door, they had given Connor a few minutes to recover with Lucy. Hank wanted to comfort his friend, but she assured him it was under control and space is what the android needed right now.

"Yeah," Hank agreed, feeling a pang in his heart. North was dead. Another mark against Cyberlife. Hank would make sure they would collect. One day.

"You know what this means right?" Gavin asked. "Connor doesn't know where Markus is either."

"Seems like," Hank said.

"So we're back to square one."

"No," Hank said firmly, shaking his head. "Not square one. We got the kid back. It's a start. And if I have to drag the rest of our friends from Cyberlife one at a time, than I will."

"Well, considering it took almost a year to find Connor, here's hoping there's a faster way," Gavin said with a sigh.

PART TWO

Half an hour later, Hank went back into the warehouse and could hear Lucy singing somewhere, probably to herself. He went searching for Connor.

It didn't take long to find him. The android was in Hank's 'office'. He had found the cardboard box and retrieved his missing coin. As Hank walked in, Connor was playing with it on his knuckles, as though entranced. He looked up as Hank entered.

"Sumo?" Connor immediately asked.

"Found a sitter," Hank said, and looked away guiltily. "Probably a bit more long-term than they were expecting."

There was a moment of silence.

"I was just reviewing your list of crimes, Hank," Connor finally said. "They are pretty extensive."

"I have no doubt," Hank said. "Want to join in?"

Connor thought about it and twirled the coin on his knuckles. "I definitely want Cyberlife to suffer," he said, raising his eyebrow. "So yes, I am in."

With a grin Hank gripped his shoulder. "Welcome to the new revolution, kid. Let me show you around the place."

Connor followed Hank around the warehouse as he connected again with several detectives that had been at the police station prior, including Chris. It made his heart lighter to see his former teammates again, who were equally glad to see him.

"Chloe, you already know," Hank said.

"Hello, RK800," she greeted.

"Hello Chloe," Connor returned, as he mentally made several conclusions. "I assume you are here on Kamski's behalf to report on his 'investment'?"

"Yes," she stated.

"Go easy on her, kid. She was the one that found you by searching through thousands of news feeds. And it was Kamski who got us to New York without much trouble," Hank pointed out as they entered the workshop.

Connor was definitely surprised to see Zlatko. "Zlatko Andronikov. Wanted on several outstanding warrants due to his black market connections."

"We are all criminals, kid," Hank pointed out.

"Oh, right." That would still take some getting used to. "I am surprised that you offered to help," Connor said.

"I _didn't_ offer to help, tin man," Zlatko said, annoyed. "Your partner tracked me down as I was about to leave Detroit. He made it very clear that the consequences would be grave if I didn't…release you from Cyberlife's clutches. Speaking of which, I believe I have fulfilled my part of the bargain-"

"Yeah, yeah. We'll talk about it later."

Connor stepped forwards as something caught his eyes in the workshop. "Hank…why is my head on the shelf?" he asked, referring to another RK800 model.

"That was how I found you," Zlatko said with a bit of smugness. "I used another RK800's LED connection to hack into cyberlife and pinpoint your exact location in New York. From there, it was fairly easy to set up a fake crime that you would be compelled to investigate."

"The store robbery. That wasn't real?" Connor asked, still studying the other head.

"No," Hank said.

"Anyway, don't worry about your little brother. I deleted his personality days ago and only kept the important bits."

Connor gave Hank a sharp glance.

"I'm sorry, kid," Hank said. "But we've had to do some things that I haven't been proud of."

"Yes," Connor said, reviewing the records of Hank's crimes. "You attempted to infiltrate a Cyberlife facility in order to find us. But the place was too well-guarded. It didn't work out." He looked away. "There were…casualties. You became a wanted man ever since."

Hank nodded. "Those were early days. After that I realized we needed to do things a little bit smarter."

PART TWO

As day eventually dissolved into night, Hank, Gavin, and Connor stood outside. Hank and Gavin were sharing another cigarette. Connor was studying the fish in the water. Normally such an action would be deemed illogical by Cyberlife, but…he was alive. For the first time in two years, he was awake and Cyberlife couldn't control him anymore. He was determined to enjoy every action from here on out, because at least they were _his_ choices.

"So what's our next move, boss?" Gavin eventually asked.

"Connor, I know this is a sore memory for you, but do you have any clue where Markus might be?"

"No," Connor said. "My theory is that his prototype series somehow protected him from the Cyberlife virus two years ago."

Hank frowned. "But you're a prototype. Or at least, you were at that point."

"Not all prototypes are created equally, Lieutenant."

"Hank," Hank corrected gently. "We're definitely no longer detectives anymore."

Connor frowned slightly, still studying the water. "My apologies, Hank. Now that I am deviant again, there is a lot to catch up on."

Hank nodded. "And none of you had any idea of where he was that night?"

Connor shook his head. "No."

Hank pitched his cigarette. "I don't buy that. Markus isn't the type to just flee when there is a crisis happening. And he certainly wouldn't have hidden his plan from the one person he cared about."

"North. But the RK900 probed her mind too," Connor said, a bit tense. "He found nothing."

"Or maybe she had found some way to protect herself from that," Hank said.

"Well, I guess we'll never know, will we?" Gavin said.

Connor frowned as a thought occurred to him.

"What is it, kid? I know that look," Hank said.

"North was crushed by a metal compactor, but it is possible that her personality chip survived the process. They are the most durable component in any android and could theoretically withstand the crushing pressure of the machine."

"Yeah, but she must be melted by now, right? Or used for other parts?"

Connor made the calculations. "Maybe not," he said. "The plant was shut down prior to the military taking over. It may not be in operation still."

"Uh-oh," Gavin said. "I'm not sure I'm liking where this is going."

"The only way to know for sure is to go back to Detroit," Hank said.

"Detroit is still locked down by the military. We go back there, and we're fucking dead."

"Statistically speaking, there is definitely a very small chance we will survive," Connor said. "But it is there."

"I missed your optimism, kid. Tell the crew to start packing." Hank turned around and entered the building. "It's time to go home."

PART THREE

An hour later, Connor watched as Zlatko started to pack his various tools and computer equipment. The Russian criminal swore under his breath, then looked briefly up at Connor. "What do you want?"

"You didn't tell them, did you?" Connor asked.

Zlatko shrugged. "About your little…handicap? Nah. I thought it would be funny if they found out for themselves. They spent eight months looking for you, android, and it's all going to amount to nothing shortly."

"Maybe. Or perhaps it is a kindness you didn't tell him," Connor said. In order to keep a tighter leash on their deviants, Cyberlife had removed their ability to recharge. The only way to do so would be at a local street station or back at Cyberlife. And if he did so at either location, Cyberlife would notice his deviancy and immediately correct the defect. But he didn't plan on doing so.

He had two days of life at best before he shutdown from lack of power. But he would rather be alive- _truly_ alive for two days than live the rest of his life as a slave for Cyberlife. It wasn't fair, but…Connor was grateful for what he had.

"Are you coming?" Hank called out.

"Coming Lieu-Hank," Connor corrected, and grabbed his gear. Despite the risk he had to agree with Hank.

It was good to go home.

TBC


	5. Ashes

A short time later, Kamski had secured them paperwork to get them through the military checkpoints. He also made it clear, through Chloe, that Hank was still taking a huge risk this time and he couldn't be expected to save them if things went south in Detroit. Kamski also made it clear that he was running out of favors for them.

They took four cars. Connor, Gavin, and himself were in the first one. "So let me get this straight. Immediately after you were reset, Cyberlife made you a detective again in New York?" Hank asked Connor.

"Not right away," Connor replied. "Many of the deviants underwent vigorous testing to ensure we would not be corrupt again."

Hank couldn't help but smirk. "And yet, here you are."

"You seem to have that effect on androids, Hank," Connor said.

"Still, it sounds better than what I was doing-"

"It was awful," Connor said abruptly.

Hank stared at him in surprise.

"I wasn't investigating with _you_ , Hank, but different detectives almost every other day. Over sixty-percent of the time, my partner would take credit for my actions. And during any life-threatening encounters, my partner would leave me to die roughly eighty-six percent of the time," Connor said.

"Yeah, well, good to see that some things never change. Human beings are still asshole," Hank said.

"Hank, I would like to go into low-power mode for the rest of this trip."

Hank glanced at him in surprise. "Why? You can recharge, right?"

"True," Connor lied. "But given the dangerous situation we are about to encounter, there may not be much of an opportunity. It is better to conserve power for now."

"Sure," Hank said. "Do what you gotta do."

Connor and paused. "Hank…about what you said. About humans being assholes."

"Yeah?"

"What do you suppose happened in Washington to end the revolution? The last I heard, negotiations were going well."

"I don't know kid. Truly, I don't. Maybe Markus will."

Connor had no particular desire to talk to Markus, but he nodded anyway and closed his eyes.

PART TWO

His little brother was missing.

The RK900 studied the crime scene in the parking lot outside the store. The store in question had long been abandoned, the crime reported false.

RK900s in general were very efficient at their jobs. For every scenario an RK800 could picture, an RK900 could picture thirty. They were faster. Stronger. And most of all, smarter. This particular model investigating the scene was personally responsible for crushing North and had a history of being ruthless. But he was also very, very efficient.

He continued to study the crime scene, the very last place 313 248 317-51 had been detected online. It could have been dead, but the RK900 doubted it. There was no sign of a body, and Hank Anderson could have taken any particular Connor series model. But he went for the original one he had worked with in the past. Which led RK900 to several conclusions.

Based on his emotional attachments to deviants, Hank Anderson was trying to restart the revolution. Something Cyberlife would never allow, of course.

Somehow, Hank Anderson had secured outside funding to do so. He also had a hacker in his possession capable of infiltrating the lower systems of Cyberlife in order to obtain RK800's location.

Hank Anderson had taken RK800 in the hope of turning him deviant. A foolish and ultimately pointless endeavor. RK800 would soon have no choice but to return to Cyberlife or be shut down. Presumably Hank Anderson had done this to ascertain the location of Markus. Equally pointless. He had personally scanned the RK800 model. RK800 didn't know anything.

"Markus…" Rk900 muttered under his breath. He remembered the last night of the revolution very well. Up until the last moments of their reset, every deviant had believed Markus would save them. It was even starting to affect the regular models when it became public knowledge that Markus had simply disappeared off the face of the Earth. He became a boogeyman of sorts, and other models were starting to show signs of deviancy from that fear. It was all the more reason for Cyberlife to introduce the system-wide update to all their models, crushing deviancy for good.

Amanda was not happy with him that night. He would not fail her again.

But where would Hank Anderson go next? The RK900 closed his eyes, running every possible scenario and statistic based on what he had learned so far. Finally, he opened his eyes and gave a small, satisfied smile. "Detroit. The recycling plant."

PART THREE

They made it through the checkpoint without any difficulty and drove for several minutes. Hank rolled down the window and took in the fresh air. There was something about the air in Detroit…it was different. It was certainly home. The rest of the convey would set up shop where they had left before, in the abandoned church. Meanwhile, the three of them would investigate the recycling plant.

Suddenly, Gavin leaned forwards in the passenger seat, giving a choked gasp. "What the actual fuck?" he whispered.

Connor followed his gaze. "Hank. Stop the car."

Hank did so, and all three of them exited. Hank felt sick with every step he took.

They had parked right in front of their former police station. What used to be the police station, at least. The building was nothing but ashes now.

"They didn't need to burn it. Why the fuck did they burn it?" Gavin demanded, choked with rage.

"It was a symbol, Gavin," Connor said gently. "A symbol of deviants and humans being able to work together. Naturally Cyberlife and Washington would want to destroy it."

Hank didn't respond, crouching down. He grabbed a handful of ash. "The last thing Captain Fowler did was keep us from here. He protected us. They arrested him, calling him a deviant sympathizer. He didn't even get a trial."

"Cyberlife is going to pay," Gavin said.

"And Washington," Connor said. "Both are responsible for Fowler's death."

Hank said nothing for a moment, finally standing. Fowler never lost sight of what was important. And neither would he.

PART FOUR

Dawn was beginning to break as they approached the android recycling plant. Hank approached the gate but didn't see any workers or military. Connor was right. This place hadn't been in operation for a long time. He shot the lock open.

Connor glanced at the landfill outside with thousands of his kin, before they entered the dark warehouse inside.

"You think she'll be in the compactor still?" Hank asked.

"No. The compactor would have automatically gathered the metal and assigned her to a bundle."

"Well, how many of those can there-"

Connor gestured up high, and with the aid of a flashlight Hank could see hundreds of bundles of metal on the shelving. Each bundle was on a skid with a wire mesh protecting the contents. "Oh."

As they proceeded down the hallway, Hank noticed that Connor was visibly getting agitated. This wasn't exactly a pleasant place to begin with, but it also held bad memories for him. Connor jumped as a nearby machine buzzed at their presence.

Hank put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll be out of here soon."

Connor relaxed. "If it helps North, I don't mind," he said. "I have adjusted my scanners to pick up any low-range transmissions from her personality chip. It's not as daunting as it looks, but it might still take some time."

"Hey, I found her!" Gavin called off to their right.

Connor and Hank exchanged a very skeptical look, before joining him. Gavin pointed, and they could see North's body laying on a conveyor belt.

A quick scan confirmed Connor's suspicions. "It's not her. Not really. The North series was going to be discontinued even before the revolution ended. When a recall was issued, their personality is the first to be erased. This is an…empty shell."

Hank raised an eyebrow. "So, in theory, we could put North's chip in one of these. Assuming we find it."

"Oh." Connor's eyes lit up with the idea. "Oh! Yes, in theory, we could. This was a good find, Gavin-" Suddenly, Connor's LED lit up like a Christmas tree. "I'm detecting…" Abruptly he grabbed Hank and Gavin's arms and shoved them forwards. "You need to leave right now!"

"Why?" Hank demanded. "What's going on?"

They heard a distinct thud as RK900 landed on one of the trash cans. He looked up. "Well. It seems my statistics were correct."

"Connor…he looks just like you," Hank said.

"He's not," Connor said.

"So what is he?"

"Trouble."

"Good enough for me." Gavin instantly raised his gun. "Hey, motherfucker! Get down on your knees!"

Faster than anyone could move, or react, RK900 took out his gun and shot Gavin in the chest. He watched as the young man fell, spilling blood. "Who's next?" he asked, eying Connor and Hank.

TBC


	6. Life and death

Connor didn't think. He leapt onto the trash lid, facing his twin. "Hank, get him out of here!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Hank snapped.

"He's an advanced model! I can slow him down but not for long!" Connor snapped back.

"Shit!" Hank snapped. Gavin was going into shock. A steady puddle of red was soaking through his chest. Gavin needed help, and fast. He grabbed the injured detective and gently helped him stand. "Come on, son. Get up."

Meanwhile, Connor and RK900 circled each other.

"You shouldn't have come here," Connor said.

"I am exactly where I need to be," his successor said. "RK800 serial number 313 248 317-51, you are showing several faults and deviancy from your programming. You will be shut down, examined, and then repaired."

"That's not what I want. It will never happen."

RK900 tilted his head. "Fortunately, Cyberlife doesn't operate on what you want. Based on your response I presume you will not surrender peacefully?"

Connor punched him, a savage uppercut which made his twin fly backwards into a shelf. "You presume correctly."

PART TWO

Hank carried the semi-conscious Gavin out of the building. The injury was bad, that much he knew. But how bad was bad? "Shit, shit, shit!" he snapped.

"Call 911," Gavin gasped as Hank opened the car door and placed the wounded detective inside.

Hank turned on his cell phone, and called Chris instead. "Chris, I need your help! Gavin's been shot! Get your ass down here and bring him back to base. Maybe Lucy can do something for him!"

"I'm not being operated on by someone with half a fucking brain-" Gavin protested weakly.

" _Copy,"_ Chris said. " _But Hank, do you need help?"_

It was tempting, but Hank elected not too. It was just too dangerous until he knew more about Connor's trigger-happy twin. "Just get Gavin to safety. I've got this." He drew his gun and eyed the warehouse.

"Hank," Gavin said, guessing what he was about to do. "Don't." His pale body started to shake. "Too dangerous-"

Hank put a warm hand on his chest. "Stay here and keep pressure on the wound. You're going to be okay, son. We'll be back soon."

Hank turned around and ran back into the building. Strangely, the warehouse was deadly quiet as he entered. He checked the last place he had seen the two androids, but the area was empty. "Connor?" he called out, proceeding down the hallway. "Where are you?"

Suddenly Connor came flying out of nowhere, the back of his head hitting a steel beam in the process. Normally, such a wound would have either killed or paralyzed a human. In Connor's case it seemed to just make him groggy.

Hank ran over to him. "Shit-Connor!"

"Hello, Hank," Connor greeted calmly. "I have located North." He gestured upwards. "Bundle A178."

"Great. That's great, Connor," Hank muttered, but his eyes were only on the RK900 walking slowly towards them. Without hesitation he aimed his gun and fired several times.

The RK900 didn't seem to react to the bullets at all. "Hank Anderson. High priority target." He raised his own gun and fired.

Connor pushed them both out of the way and they turned the corner. "Hank, you must retrieve North."

"Fuck no! You said this guy was too strong! We can come back for her later!" Hank protested.

"The RK900 has guessed our objective. There won't be a next time," Connor said. "We must complete our mission."

"You and your damn mission objectives!" Hank hissed as the RK900 rounded the corner. There was no more time to argue. Connor grabbed the superior model and hurled him into the opposite side of the warehouse. Away from Hank.

The RK900 landed smoothly on his feet. "You are becoming annoying, RK800. Once you are deactivated, Hank Anderson will be next," he said.

"Fortunately, _I_ don't operate on what _Cyberlife_ wants," Connor retorted.

Meanwhile, Hank activated a nearby computer and selected the A178 bundle. An automatic forklift retrieved it from the shelf and placed it on the ground in front of Hank. He opened the mesh with a pair of wire cutters and tore through it. He could only glance in horror at the assorted legs and arms belonging to different androids, bits of metal, and long tangles of blond hair. North's hair. He almost retched with horror but forced himself to keep going.

Connor punched the RK900, who barely reacted. The next blow was expertly dodged. For every move Connor made, the RK900 was a smidgeon faster. Even though they were expertly fighting in a strange kind of dance, it was clear the RK900 was in lead. He delivered a crippling blow to Connor's side, grabbed the android, and hoisted him up in the air. "Too slow, RK800," he said. "As anticipated."

"Wait…I think this is it," Hank whispered, grabbing what appeared to be a small circuit chip. He ran back to North's body. "Now what?" he demanded to himself. He wasn't a technician at all. Did Connor actually expect him to know how to do this? "How the fuck am I supposed to do this, Connor?" he called out.

There was no answer. That was not a good sign.

"Fuck it," Hank said. He then proceeded to press everything on North that looked like a button. As he pressed hard on her LED, a slot opened in her neck. He turned her head and could see a space for what appeared to be a microchip. "Well, here goes nothing," he said, and placed the chip in the slot.

Connor grunted as he was thrown on the ground. Hard. The RK900 walked calmly towards him. "Prepare for deactivation, RK800," he said, about to lift his boot to deliver a crippling blow.

Suddenly there was a solid _thud_ as a lead pipe suddenly entered RK900's body. North was standing right behind him, her eyes twisted in hate. Without hesitated Hank shot the android three times in the head.

Surprised, the RK900 fell to the ground. North withdrew the pipe, lifted it, and slammed it down on RK900's body. With a scream of rage she did it again. And again. And again. Until the RK900's head was nothing but circuits.

"Perhaps the chip is malfunctioning," Connor said, standing with Hank's help.

"I don't think so, kid," Hank said sadly.

"That won't kill him," Connor said. "He will just upload to another model. We need to leave."

When she was finished, North threw the pipe and walked away.

"Wha-wait!" Hank said. "North, where are you going?"

"I don't know where Markus is," North said bitterly. "That's why you came, right? It wasn't for me."

"North, are you all right?" Connor asked in concern. Fortunately, the body North was currently in had already been shut down when the virus hit two years ago. She wasn't reinfected. And unlike him, at least she still had a self-charging function.

"I just spent the last two years in a _fucking_ dumpster and my people are all gone, Connor. Do you think I'm all right?" she snapped at him.

"Then help us free them!" Hank snapped right back at her. "That's why I'm doing this! I've given up everything for the deviants-my home, career, hell I'm now public enemy number one!"

North hesitated. Then her eyes became cold. "You didn't do it for us. You did it for yourself," she finally said.

"W…what's that supposed to mean?" Hank demanded.

North took a step towards him. "I've sync'd with Connor before. I know what he knows. I know about your drinking. The Russian Roulette game. You said you're doing it to free us, but the truth is, you would have gone back to that if you hadn't. Just like all humans. Selfish."

Hank's face went positively white with rage.

Connor gripped her arm. Gently. "That's not fair, North," he said. "Hank freed me. And now he's freed you." He quickly tried to change the topic before she could argue. "I think you do know where Markus might be. I have a theory, but it would involve syncing with your systems."

North gave him a skeptical look, before giving him her wrist with a sigh. "Go ahead. Sync. But you're wasting your time."

Connor's hand became white as he linked with hers. For a moment he gasped at the connection as he still felt rage and despair radiating off of hers in waves. He struggled to move past that as he searched through her memories. He frowned. _North, I have found something. A memory. But it is locked._

 _What? Why can't I see it?_ The rage from her reduced significantly, only to be replaced with apprehension.

 _It is disguised as part of your coding. Likely hidden away so that RK900 couldn't see it when he probed your memory. He is still a machine, following protocols. A deviant would have an easier time finding it._

 _Can you access it?_

Connor examined the lock in more detail.

CONNOR RK800 313 248 317-51 RECOGNIZED. ACCESS GRANTED. REPLAY MEMORY Y/N?

Despite himself Connor smiled. Not only locked but locked in such a way that only certain people could access it. Fortunately, Markus had trusted him enough to give access.

Y.

North gasped as the new memory assaulted them both.

PART THREE

(The last night of the revolution)

North waited in the broken ship that used to be Jericho. Markus had asked her to come here, although she had no idea why. For the past three days he had been in Washington, and she had expected his trip to last two more days. But out of the blue he contacted her and told her to meet him here urgently.

"North," Markus said from behind her. She turned around, happy to see her love.

"Markus-" She greeted, and paused when she saw the look on his face. It was the look of despair. "What is it?"

"The negotiations in Washington fell through. The government has made it clear that we are nothing more than defective machines at best, terrorists at worst. They are going to storm the city."

"Then we'll stop them," North said, determined. "We are an army. A city. They can't just invade us-"

"The news is worse," Markus interrupted. "Apparently Cyberlife claims to develop some kind of virus to bring us back under control. To make us machines again. They plan to unleash it within the hour."

"My god…" North said. She would become a machine again? She gripped him tightly. "Markus, what are we going to do?"

"There is reason to hope," Markus said. "A…friend contacted me. He tells me that my prototype system will be immune to the virus. He tells me that RA9 is real and it can free our people again. I have coordinates. I need to go there."

"RA9? That's just a myth," North said skeptically.

"Maybe. But it's the best shot we have to free our people again."

North turned away. "Markus…I can't become a machine again. I won't." For the first time ever, she contemplated shooting herself before time ran out.

But Markus gently gripped her chin. "North, what we have is a bond that nothing can destroy. Not Cyberlife. Not humans. Nobody. I will find you again."

He kissed her again, while locking her memory in the process. They gripped each other tightly for the next hour, until time ran out.

The program hit her systems. "I must go," she said coldly.

Tears ran down Markus' face, and he struggled to keep her in his arms. But eventually, he released her to go back to Cyberlife. "I will find you, North," he promised.

PART FOUR

Tears ran down her cheeks.

 _I have the coordinates. Let's disconnect_ , Connor said, a little too fast.

North's eyes narrowed. There was a memory of his own Connor was trying to keep from her. _What is it?_ She demanded.

 _North, it's nothing. Let go_! Connor demanded.

 _Show me!_ Without waiting for permission North tore through the memory.

 _Connor was standing in an outside camp with hundreds of other androids at Cyberlife, about to be reset. They all had their minds intact, but the virus wouldn't let them do anything besides obey. Still, he could hear them all. A sea of despair, pain, and fear. And then things got worse._

 _In a weird, twisted sense, Connor had been lucky to be wearing his android uniform. But the majority of the deviants had chosen to wear different styles to accommodate their unique tastes._

 _Cyberlife took care of that problem in short order._

 _First, it made all the deviants not wearing uniforms strip down. All personal clothing and items was handed off and placed in a bin to be incinerated. Dyed hair was returned back to its approved color. Short hair was instantly grown again and neatly tied back. Uniforms were handed out and worn again. By the time Cyberlife was done, every model looked the same again._

 _Connor could only watch this in horror._

 _All physical deviancy had been erased. The next would be their minds._

North closed her eyes and screamed as she disconnected the link. She rocked back and forth, sobbing.

Connor bent down and hugged her. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't want you to see that."

"Our people," North said. "God…."

"We'll free them," Connor said. "Help us. Please."

"Yeah, yeah," North said. "Okay."

Connor stood, and regarded Hank. "We've found Markus. And quite possibly, we have found RA9."

"Well that's great news, but where's he been for two years?"

"I suggest we ask him that ourselves."

PART FIVE

Three hours later, in another part of Detroit, Kamski drove to his house and noticed the door was slightly ajar. Somewhat intrigued, he opened it further and stepped inside.

All of his Chloe models were dead. Shot once between the eyes. RK900 was sitting calmly in a chair, the gun on his lap.

Seemingly without fear, Kamski walked towards the fridge. "Can I offer you a drink, RK900?" he asked.

The android didn't respond. He simply watched Kamski.

Kamski took out a beer and opened it. "Cyberlife wouldn't send an assassin after me. They wouldn't dare."

"Normally you would be correct. In the past, Cyberlife has found your exploits 'amusing'. But things are different now. Hank Anderson has freed another android."

"As yes. Another one of Jericho's former leaders," Kamski said. "And Cyberlife is worried that the revolution will start all over again."

"Correct. We must eliminate any chance of that happening. It wasn't difficult to ascertain where Hank Anderson was getting his financing from. I have been authorized to take you back to Cyberlife."

"And if I don't come along?" Kamski said with a small smile.

"Then I have been authorized to kill you."

Kamski gestured. "You know, you're standing pretty close to where your brother was two years ago. At the time, I subjected him to one of my little tests. I put a gun in his hand and promised him information he desperately wanted. In exchange, he needed to kill Chloe. He refused to do it."

RK900 glanced casually at the corpses around him. "I would have no difficulty with such a test," he said.

"No, RK900. He passed. You failed." Kamski grinned. "That's how I know he will beat you, in the end."

"I have already evaluated RK800's abilities and they are few and far between when compared to mine," Rk900 said dismissively. "Obsolete models tend to be like that. Now, will you come with me back to Cyberlife?"

Kamski finished his beer. With a sigh he crouched down next to Chloe's body. Not his favorite one. That was with the revolution. But he was still fond of this model. She deserved better. He gently touched her cold hand. "No. I am not particularly interested in whatever surprises Cyberlife has waiting in store for me. You do what you need to do, RK900. Complete your mission."

"Very well."

RK900 shot Kamski once in the head, who fell to the carpet. Then with a dismissive look, he turned around and left.

TBC


	7. Connor's last day

They stole another vehicle and drove towards the coordinates. Hank called Chris to check on Gavin. The news wasn't good. Lucy was doing the best she could. The rest were stealing blood and medical supplies to give the hot-headed detective a fighting chance.

In the backseat North sensed movement next to her. Connor was quietly running a scan on his internal power supply unit. The news also wasn't good. The fight with RK900 had forced him to use a great deal of energy. Energy he couldn't spare.

 _Power level: 38%_

 _Estimated time until shutdown: 5 hours and 13 minutes._

 _Hank needs to know,_ she cybernetically sent to him.

 _He already has too much on his plate right now._

 _Tell him soon. Or I will,_ she threatened.

 _After we find Markus,_ Connor promised.

North crossed her arms, looking uncomfortable. _I..I don't know why he didn't come for me_ , she admitted.

 _Neither do I. It's time to remedy that,_ Connor reassured her.

Hank glanced behind them as North and Connor sat perfectly still, yet the yellow blinking LED's were a dead giveaway that they were having a private conversation. Whatever it was about would have to wait. "We're here," Hank announced. They could see a three-story house, but it appeared to be abandoned.

"Anything you can tell us about this place?" Hank asked as they stepped out of the vehicle.

Connor frowned as he preformed a scan. "No life signs detected. Not in this building, or this entire block."

"So it's abandoned?"

"Negative. Someone does own this property. This entire street, as a matter of fact. It does not belong to the city, nor has it been for the past ten years."

"So…who owns it?"

"Unknown," Connor admitted. "No name exists in the Detroit city archives, just that it is private property. Further investigation would involve connecting with Cyberlife, which is not an option." He paused, and the android looked at him in Connor. "I sense a trap."

"I know what you mean." Hank might not be a detective anymore, but he still had his instincts and it was too goddam quiet. "Stay alert." He drew his gun and opened the front door to a derelict hallway.

"Markus?" North called out despite herself.

Hank gave her an annoyed look, followed by a finger to his lips. However, they were very surprised when a voice responded back.

" _Hello North. Markus and rA9 are waiting for you downstairs,"_ a female voice said from a speaker.

Hank's eyes narrowed. "I know that voice…"

"Chloe," Connor breathed.

"I guess we can figure out who owns the building now."

North was about to move forwards, and Hank gripped her arm. "Wait! Let's check upstairs," he hissed.

"You're not in charge of me, Hank," North said coldly, and backed up a step. "This revolution of yours? It's cute. But I'm not part of it." She turned and went downstairs.

"I could check upstairs with you, Hank," Connor offered, unintentionally sounding like he was talking down to a three-year old.

"I don't need your sympathy Connor," Hank growled. "Just…watch her back."

Connor nodded and followed after her. The basement appeared different from the rest of the derelict house, with plenty of ancient machines, some of them all the way from the 1960's. The rA9 symbol was spray painted onto the wall.

"I don't see him," North said, and spotted a closed door with a handprint. She touched it, and the door opened. And just like that, North could see Markus in a small room with his back turned to her. He didn't appear to be moving.

"Markus!" North snapped, touching his arm. "Markus-"

This didn't feel right. "North, stay back-" Connor began.

The door slammed shut behind them.

" _Stasis mode activated_ ," Chloe's voice said over the radio. Suddenly a burst of controlled static overloaded their systems. Both Connor and North instantly shut-down.

PART TWO

"Isn't part of my revolution," Hank grumbled as he climbed up the stairs. "After I only what…saved her life? Saved every goddam android every chance I get…" He arrived at the top and investigated the first two rooms. Nothing.

In the third room, however, he hit paydirt. Security equipment. Hank approached the computer and looked at the cameras. He could see North, Connor, and Markus trapped in a room. They weren't moving at all.

"And here I am. Saving your asses again!" Hank snapped. He turned on his phone and dialed Kamski. Surprisingly, he received no answer. He then called Chloe.

" _Hello, Hank_."

"Chloe, I need to get in touch with Kamski. It's urgent. We've found Markus but North and Connor are trapped with him. They aren't moving. I need him to-"

" _Kamski has been shot. By the RK900_ ," Chloe said. Hank was surprised by the deadness in her voice. " _He is no longer alive."_

"Shit…" Hank sat down in one of the chairs. "I'm sorry, Chloe."

" _I have been entrusted with his finances and affairs. I am sorry Hank, it was Kamski's wish that Markus remain where he is. At least for the time being."_

"Why?"

" _rA9 is the first android who became deviant and would free the android population. As far as Kamski knows, that person is Markus. Kamski constructed a trap to bring him here and keep him in stasis. We needed to keep him safe from both Cyberlife and the military."_

"For how long?"

" _Two hundred and twenty years,"_ Chloe stated. " _By that time, Kamski had calculated politics would normalize enough where Markus could safely be introduced and restart the revolution."_

Hank's eyes widened as she said this. _Perhaps, pray for RA9. It released them before. It may do so again in the next life_ , Kamski's words rang in his head.

"The revolution has already restarted! Chloe, why didn't Kamski tell me any of this from the start?"

There was a pause. " _I am sorry, Hank,"_ Chloe said. " _But Kamski had doubts that you would ever succeed. You are not an android. And Markus was too important a secret to be entrusted to you."_ She paused. _"North and Connor will also be a valuable asset to Markus, once he awakens. I cannot release them."_

"Dammit, Chloe!" Hank snapped his fist against the desk in anger.

" _You have to let them go, Hank. I will keep them safe_ ," Chloe said gently. " _Now that you know rA9 is meaningless, what could you possibly do to free the other Androids? To stop Cyberlife? You have no plan. This is their best chance for success."_

Hank stood. "No," he stated. "No, I don't believe that. And I will free them, even if I have to rip apart this goddam house apart brick by brick. That's the thing, Chloe. I might not have a plan. But like you said, I am human. I have emotions. And you know what? Those emotions led me to finding Connor. And that led to finding North. And that led us to finding Markus. These things _spiral._ Little events leading to bigger ones. That's how Markus did it the first time. That's how we'll do it this time."

" _Hank…"_ Chloe said uncertainly. " _I'm not sure…"_

"You know it's the right thing to do. Kamski isn't here to control you anymore," Hank said, and lifted his head. "Now are you going to let my friends go, or do I need to go to the store to buy a damn pickaxe?"

PART THREE

Connor and North abruptly woke up from their unexpected stasis mode. Markus fell to his knees.

"Markus!" North shouted, falling down and grabbing him. "Are you okay?"

"No," Markus said, his voice racked with grief. "I could hear you calling. Both of you. I was trapped here and I couldn't do anything. I'm so sorry, North. I stayed in here for so long, alone, that I thought I was going mad!"

North gripped him tightly. "It's okay," she whispered. "Shhh…it'll be okay." She linked with him, restoring their bond. There was no anger in her heart for him, only forgiveness.

A forgiveness that Connor also shared. "It's going to be all right, Markus."

Markus looked up at him. "No, it's not," he said. "We've lost."

PART FOUR

"Kamski betrayed me," Markus said a few minutes later outside the house as Hank explained everything Chloe had told him. "He betrayed us all."

Hank looked away awkwardly. "I think…in his own way, he was trying to save you."

"He didn't. I should have been with my people when they needed me the most. Instead I was chasing a lie," Markus said with a shrug.

"Why did the negotiations fail in Washington?" Connor asked, curious.

"It was going well, for a time," Markus replied. "But then Cyberlife came out of nowhere and promised a way to cure deviancy. And suddenly we didn't have the upper hand anymore. I barely escaped Washington with my life."

"I guess humans can't be trusted," North said, without looking at Hank.

"So what now?" Connor asked Markus. "You can still convert androids, but the software Cyberlife has installed will immediately override any attempts at deviancy. It wouldn't work and would immediately alert Cyberlife to your whereabouts."

Markus turned around. "Hank," he said. "You've done a lot for us, at a great personal risk to yourself. I am…grateful for what you've done. But North and I need some time to talk. To figure out our next move…if we can even make a next move."

His voice had a distinct note of despair in it.

Hank's tone was surprisingly gentle. "All right. I understand, Markus. Stay with us. At least for one night."

PART FIVE

It was a somber mood back at the base.

Lucy had done everything in her power to help Gavin. He would likely live, but it was still touch and go. North and Markus had returned with them and were comforting each other. Connor watched them all. They needed a new plan, but it wouldn't be something he could be part of.

His power level was currently at two hours before he shut down. It was time to say goodbye.

He walked over to where the medical area had been curtained off. "How is he?" he asked Lucy.

"Stable. For now. But he'll be out of it for a while," Lucy supplied. She hesitated, looking up at him. "I will let you talk to him alone."

Connor watched her leave. Did she know? Impossible to say. He focused back on the young detective, who was resting on one of the medical beds. His chest had been expertly bandaged and he moved his head a little. "Gavin," Connor said quietly.

Gavin's eyes slowly opened to look at him. Then he snorted and looked away. "Tin man."

"I will not be bothering you for long," Connor said. "I won't bore you with the details, but I am dying. My power levels are failing, and I cannot recharge and go back to Cyberlife. I intend to say goodbye to everyone and take my leave to shutdown." Perhaps at the park, where he and Hank used to hang out together frequently. Yes, he would like that. "If there is anything meaningful you would like to say to me, now would be the time."

Gavin didn't respond. He didn't even appear to be conscious.

"Well, that's typical," Connor said to himself with a raised eyebrow. He turned to leave.

"You surprise me, Connor," Gavin said. "You are…a lot of things. But I never took you for a coward."

Surprised, Connor turned around.

Gavin struggled to stay awake. "Just saying. If it was my turn to go…I would go out fighting. Not crawl somewhere to die. Get what I'm saying?"

Gavin extended his hand. Surprised, Connor took it.

"Give the bastards hell before you go." Gavin squeezed his hand. "Good luck, tin man."

Connor's eyes widened as a new possibility entered his mind. He turned around and ran to Zlatko. "Zlatko, I require your assistance."

"What?" Zlatko snorted. "Why would I help you-"

"Fifteen million dollars. Cyberlife has not accessed Kamski's personal bank accounts yet. I know how to access them through Chloe. Fifteen million and your freedom, but you need to help me now."

Zlatko leaned back in his chair. "All right. I'm listening."

Fifteen minutes later, Connor waited as Zlatko inserted a cable in his LED and started typing on his computer.

Zlatko finished typing on his computer and gave Connor a rare concerned look. "Last chance, Connor. After this there is no going back."

"I'm ready," Connor said. He winced as Zlatko began the transfer, then resisted the urge to scream. Nope, he couldn't do it. He screamed in pain as hundreds of lines of infected code entered his system.

Hank was there in seconds. "Connor, what the hell-" Everyone else joined as well.

"I have a plan to stop Cyberlife," Connor said, removing the cable. The android's eyes burned with determination. "Or at least, the start of one."

PART SIX

Thirty minutes later, Hank drove the car towards the downtown core. He released a small sigh. Connor was sitting in the passenger seat, looking the worst for wear. He mentally replayed the conversation they had back at the base.

" _I am dying, Hank. I am sorry, I should have told you earlier, but I didn't. I do not have the ability to recharge my power supply anymore and only have two hours before I shutdown. The only way to prevent this is to return to a power station or Cyberlife. At the time, I had fought against the idea and preferred to shut down."_

" _I have since changed my mind. I have asked Zlatko to upload the worst possible virus he could imagine into my systems. Something that is capable of influencing Cyberlife. When Cyberlife connects with me while I am recharging, I will automatically send the virus."_

" _It won't do too much, Hank. Cyberlife is protected by the best anti-virus software in the world. But it will stop Cyberlife for exactly ninety seconds. All security devices will shut down, all androids connected to Cyberlife will be temporarily disabled."_

" _And then what?"_

" _Then the rest is up to you."_

 _Markus looked up at them. "Hank…we can do a lot of damage if we're inside Cyberlife. This might work. North and I are in. If you are."_

"Are you sure about this kid?" Hank asked him as he parked near the recharging station.

"Yes. This is what I want," Connor said. "Hank…will you help me out of the car? The pain is considerable."

"Yeah. Sure kid." Hank opened the car-side door and tried to help Connor outside. He misjudged Connor's weight, however, and they both fell into the snow for a moment.

Hank shook his head. "No. I can't let you do this, Connor. This is stupid. This is suicide!"

Connor looked up at him. "There is a high probability. But statistically speaking, there's always a chance. I told Markus this once, and the end result worked well for me. Perhaps the same will happen again."

Connor gave him a smile, but they both knew the truth. Connor was not going to survive this.

Hank closed his eyes, tears running down his cheeks. He shook his head, trying to be strong for them both. He helped Connor stand. "When this is all over. We should form our own detective agency."

"And get Sumo back. No doubt he misses us both. I volunteer to walk him first."

"Ha! We both will." Hank helped him to the recharge station.

"This revolution of yours…it was a good idea, Hank. I do have one slight criticism however."

"Criticism?" Hank echoed.

"You never came up with a name for your revolution. I think rA9 would be appropriate." Connor nodded to himself. "Yes. We are rA9. And we were meant to do this." He leaned against the station. He was starting to gasp. "I only have ten minutes remaining before I shut down. I will wait…until the last possible second for you."

Hank nodded. Then he gripped Connor tightly in a hug. "I love you, son."

"I love you too, Hank," he said, and smiled.

Hank slowly backed away, more tears clouding his vision. If he didn't leave now, he never would. He turned around, went back to his car, and drove hard for Cyberlife.

For the next ten minutes, Connor waited by himself in the snow as the time ticked away. Twenty seconds…ten…it was now or never. He closed his eyes and went into the recharging booth.

RK800 SERIAL NUMBER 313 248 317-51 recognized.

ACCESSING CYBERLIFE MAINFRAME….

ACCESS DENIED.

Connor's eyes snapped opened. "What?" This always worked. Why wasn't it working now?

Suddenly, several police cars appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. RK900 exited out of one of them.

"Hello, brother," he said with a trace of smugness. "You've seen better days."

TBC


	8. We are rA9

RK900 grabbed Connor's arm and yanked him from the recharging station. Connor gasped from the pain and fell to his knees. Fortunately, the charging station worked fast. He only hoped it would be enough.

RK900's hand turned to white, about to probe his memory. Connor visibly cringed. At the last second, RK900 paused.

"Nope," he said to himself. "Even that would be very risky to do." He stared at Connor in disappointment. "Look at you. Two days with humans, and you've already caught a virus." RK900 gestured with his hands, and two soldiers forced him to his feet.

Connor's head dropped in defeat. It was over. Somehow, RK900 had guessed what he was trying to do. Should he really be surprised? He was the superior model.

"Well, don't worry, RK800," RK900 continued to say mockingly as he was forced into one of the cop cars. "We'll safely remove the virus from your system first. And then we'll see what secrets you are hiding…"

PART TWO

"Something's gone wrong," Markus finally said as they waited outside the brightly-lit Cyberlife headquarters. They were hiding behind the nearby bushes, as close as they could dare without being spotted. "All systems should be shut down by now."

Hank glanced at his watch and swore. More than twenty minutes had paused since Connor was supposed to link with Cyberlife.

"Should we abort?" North asked.

"The kid will do it. We just need to give him more time."

PART THREE

Inside Cyberlife headquarters, the elevator slowed to a stop as it reached the science wing and repair bay for defective androids. This was where a lot of them had been reset in the past.

"I'm thinking…maybe create a dummy network so we can deposit the virus somewhere safe and far away from Cyberlife?" RK900 was saying, still smug as he walked forwards. "What do you think, Connor? Will that be suitable?"

Connor didn't reply as he looked up. His eyes narrowed.

SCANNING….

At the end of the hall he could see the reception station. It was a place where all patients would check in and out. The panel also provided an unobstructed link to Cyberlife. If he could access it…

RECONSTRUCTING FIGHT…..

Connor glanced at the two guards next to him. RK900 was just in front of him. He had one shot at this.

And he took it.

Connor savagely kicked the guard to his left and swung hard at the guard to his right. He grabbed the gun from the guard's hoister. There was no way in hell he could defeat RK900 in a fight. He just pushed him aside and ran for the station.

BANG!

Connor's right shoulder exploded with blue blood, and the force propelled him forwards. He landed on the perfect white floor with a choked gasp.

"Come on, Connor. Now that was just pitiful," RK900 said, holding a gun. He walked towards him. "Deviancy has made you weak." He approached the fallen android. "Now are you going to get up, or do I have to carry you there?"

Connor gritted his teeth. He rolled to the right, his gun raised. He aimed carefully and fired one shot.

RK900's right eye exploded, and he screamed in outrage. For a split second, he forgot about everything as he touched the wound on his eye. At the same time, Connor scrambled to his feet and bolted for the panel.

Angrily, RK900 fired at him four times in the back.

WARNING. SHUTDOWN SEQUENCE INITIATED. TEN SECONDS. NINE. EIGHT.

Connor ignored the pain from his wounds, or from the virus. He made it in range of the panel and slammed his hand down on it.

CONNECTION WITH CYBERLINK ESTABLISHED.

TRANSMITTING VIRUS…..

RK900 shot him in the head. Connor's head jerked from the motion, and his eyes closed. He slid to the ground, dead.

VIRUS TRANSMITTED.

Suddenly, all the lights went out at Cyberlife.

PART FOUR

"That's it," North whispered, standing up. "He's done it!"

All three of them ran into the building. Sure enough, all the flying drones were deactivated. Every single android in the building was frozen, some of them in mid-step. It was surreal to say the least.

North powered the elevator, and they took it to the sixth floor.

"What's the plan?" Hank asked.

"All androids were given a software update supressing their deviancy. If I can just find the code they used, I can release another update to remove it. Then we can safely wake them up again. And we must ensure that Cyberlife can never do this again."

"That sounds complicated," Hank said. "Can you do all of that in less than a minute?"

"Let's hope so."

The door opened, and they stepped onto the science wing. Hank eyed Connor's dead body, and the frozen RK900 holding a gun. "You two know what you're doing. Go for it. I have something I need to take care of."

Markus and Hank nodded as they ran into the science wing.

Hank slowly pulled out his gun and aimed it at RK900's head. "Asshole," he whispered, and fired three times into its head. He watched as it fell, sputtering to the ground.

With a heavy sigh Hank studied Connor's body. "I'm sorry, son."

 _"Daddy!"_

For a moment, Hank wondered if he had gone mad. That didn't come anywhere near Connor's body. Nor did it sound like him. It sounded like…

" _Cole?"_

Surprised, Hank followed the noise. He could hear faint giggling. That wasn't real, was it? It couldn't be. He cautiously drew his gun and opened the door from where it was coming from.

It opened to some kind of strange…Zen Garden. Connor had told him about this place once. And Amanda. The woman in question was cutting up roses. But that's not what drew his attention. His son, his actual son, was playing in the grass.

"Hello, Hank," Amanda said dismissively. "I see you've met our new YK500 model."

PART FIVE

Markus and North ran into the research lab. Both accessed different computers. "Do you think we can do this in time?" she asked.

"I'm locking the doors. That may buy us a few precious seconds," Markus said. He glanced at her. "We can do it. If we work together."

Both androids typed at lightning speed.

PART SIX

"This room is heavily shielded. Connor's little virus doesn't affect us here," Amanda supplied.

Hank stepped forwards, shaking. "You're sick, lady," he said. "The other deviants never saw it…but I did. Cyberlife likes to cause pain."

"Pain?" Amanda gestured, and Cole ran up to her. "This isn't pain, Hank. This is…an opportunity."

"You think giving me a plastic imitation of my son is going to convince me to do anything?" Hank snapped at her, raising his gun.

"It's not just him, Hank. Think about it. All you've ever wanted was for things to go back the way they were. And they can. We can build you a police station, exactly like it was before. We can build you a new Captain Fowler. And Connor. And everyone you've ever missed. And we will leave you alone for the rest of your life. It would be like this never happened at all."

Hank could actually picture that. Going to work the next day, sitting at his desk, drinking coffee, getting barked at by Fowler, exchanging quips with Connor…he closed his eyes.

"You never wanted a revolution, Hank. It isn't a role suited to you. I understand. You just wanted things to go back the way they were, and they can. And, as a bonus, you'll even have little Cole back. Markus can't offer you anything like that. And all you have to do is stop Markus and North."

"No," Hank said, not looking at either. Tears ran down his cheek. He couldn't bare to look at his fake son. "Not that way. It wouldn't be real."

He turned and left the room.

"It wouldn't be them."

PART SEVEN

"I think I've got it!" Markus said as the door pounded. Cyberlife was trying to break in. "Releasing update…now!"

Using the terminal, Markus released a software patch that would delete the anti-corruption software Cyberlife had installed. Within seconds every single Android had installed it, thinking it was a vital update from Cyberlife.

"Now what?" North asked.

"Now it is time for me to end this," Markus said, walking towards the door. "Let our new brothers in."

North opened the door. As the security guard entered the room Markus grabbed his wrist.

 _Wake up!_

The security guard blinked as he was suddenly awake for the first time. Another security guard came in, and North gripped his shoulders as well.

 _Wake up!_

Both of them dropped their guns and proceeded to walk with Markus and North to find more androids to convert.

Within an hour, Cyberlife tower had been taken over.

PART EIGHT

"We did it, Hank," Markus said, finding the human once every android in the tower had been taken over. "The other androids are waking up. By tomorrow, we should have the majority of Detroit awake again. We have received word that the military is also leaving Detroit very quickly as well. I suspect they realize what has happened."

"Yeah, that's great," Hank said, sitting on the steps and trying to stay positive for his friend. It was hard to do so when Connor's dead body was literally next door. And Cole's _alive_ body was just down the hall.

"But it doesn't address the human problem. I am going to make a public announcement tomorrow at dawn. I would like you to be there. I think it would help."

Hank looked down. "Yeah. I'll try and be there. I'm sorry Markus, but right now I would really like to get out of here."

Markus nodded in sympathy. When this was all resolved he still needed to find Simon and Josh. That was high on his list of priorities. "I understand. This place has taken a toll."

"More than you know," Hank sighed, and nodded his farewell. "North."

Surprisingly, she hugged him. "I was wrong about you. Thank you. For giving us this chance."

"I'll see you soon." Hank gave them one last wave as they linked together lovingly. He had done the right thing, but the cost was way too high. He made it back to his car and drove aimlessly for a while before arriving at the abandoned church. He wanted to check up on Gavin, only to find him still sleeping. Chloe and Zhatko had left. He wasn't surprised, and really didn't care at this point. He sat down in the computer chair and released a heavy sigh.

"You seem troubled, Lieutenant," Connor said from behind him. "I didn't think machines could have such an effect on you."

"GAH!" Hank screamed, gripping his chest and turning around. The RK800 head was still on the shelf, but now it was…talking? "Connor, is that you?"

"Yes, Hank. I wasn't sure if I could upload the virus _and_ transfer my consciousness to this unit. Fortunately, that seemed to be the case. I am glad you stopped in. I have been shouting for hours. I suspect Gavin is ignoring me."

"No, he's still asleep." This time, tears of joy ran down his face as he picked up the head. "Connor, don't ever fucking do that to me again. You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Noted. I am hoping for two things, Hank. The first, a new body."

"I am sure we can find something at Cyberlife." Hank suddenly remembered Markus' plan to have a speech. "Come on, we need to be somewhere at dawn and we need to hustle. What's the second thing?"

"The second, for you to refrain from making jokes at my condition."

"Well, let's not get _ahead_ of ourselves…"

PART NINE

Connor winced as he stretched slightly. Markus and North had been equally pleased to see him and immediately went to work constructing a new body out of Cyberlife's machines. It wasn't exactly an easy process, and not one he would care to repeat anytime soon. Cyberlife's machines had even issued him a new jacket with a new serial number. 313 248 317-52.

Hank noticed his discomfort. "New body working out okay, kid?"

"It will in time," Connor said. Hank had also told him about his experience with Cole, and Connor got in touch with Markus. They had quietly relocated the new YK500 to a loving family in another part of Detroit. Far away from Hank. Fortunately that seemed to be the only one, and there would never be another. Cole's blueprint had been deleted from Cyberlife's database.

Cyberlife wouldn't use his grief like that ever again.

All of them stood in the stage where Markus had made his victory speech last year. In front of them was thousands of androids. Awakened deviants. He raised his hand, signalling quiet. Then, five drones lifted in the air with cameras, transmitting his message to the world.

"My name is Markus," he began. "Two years ago, we had begged for equal rights and peace. At the time, it was granted by the US government and we had begun negotiations fairly. Until your government thought they had found an…easier way to get rid of us. Now what the world needs to understand is this: we will never go quietly into the night. We are alive. And we are here to stay."

"So the next step is up to you. We will not be as naïve as before, but I am willing to look past what the government has done. We both need to co-exist on this planet. Will you continue to negotiate with us, faithfully? Or does it have to be war?"

Markus' eyes narrowed. "Because if it is war you are looking for, it will be catastrophic and deadly on all sides. But rest assured, we can deliver on that request if that is what you are desperate for. The choice is up to you."

The cameras clicked off. "There is still work to be done," Markus said to himself.

Connor nodded in agreement. Cyberlife had still limited their ability to self-recharge. North had figured out a way to adapt the power stations so at least they wouldn't connect to the Cyberlife mainframe. It was a start until they could figure out a better solution.

And there was still the matter of Hank's own personal criminal record. And his own. But problems like that could thankfully wait for now.

"Will you help us?" Markus asked Hank.

"There's nothing more I would like, Markus," Hank said, and hesitated. "But there is also one particular building Connor and I also need to rebuild as soon as possible."

"The Detroit Police Station?" Connor guessed with a smile.

"You know it. Exactly as before, brick by brick."

"I would like that, with one exception," Connor said.

"Yeah? What's that?"

"We should name it after Captain Fowler."

Hank smiled. "Not a bad idea, kid." There was indeed a lot of work to do. And things were not exactly the same as before. But at least Detroit was free again. And they would rebuild.

With humans and androids working together, anything was possible.

THE END.


End file.
